The present invention relates to a breech block for a drop-down barrel weapon with at least one firing pin, which is guided to be axially displaceable therein and which has an impact head at its rear end for a firing piece to strike against and a firing tip at its front end for firing a cartridge, and also a block lock with such a breech block.
A breech block of this type is known from patent EP 0 855 569 or EP 0 862 038, for example.
Numerous systems are already known to secure block locks against unintentional release such as, for example, catch hooks for the firing pieces, holding devices for the tension springs etc., which are disengaged to release the safety mechanism of the weapon.
Thus, patent DE 94 620 C, for example, discloses two levers, which are spring-loaded on the breech block and pivot in front of (and around) the firing pin ends in a scissor-like arrangement that can be forced open by a control rod in order to move the levers downwards out of the impact area of the hammer.
All known safety systems require an increased expenditure with respect to the firing mechanism and, moreover, with particularly intense vibrations of the weapon, there is the risk of the catch hooks, levers, scissor arrangements etc. becoming detached again as a result of the lever-like effect of their moments of inertia, and this is an extremely dangerous situation. Moreover, the known safety systems require a considerable amount of space in the lock housing that is often not available, and are exposed to fouling that impairs their operability.